1 November 2009

Ireland began playing England in an annual amateur international match in 1906. In 1908 England then began playing a similar series of matches against Wales. Scotland did not partake in their first amateur international match until meeting England in 1926 and they first met Ireland in 1929, the same season as the Scots first played the Welsh at this level.

It was not until the 1953/54 season that the Football Association of Wales overcame their "reluctance" to organise an amateur international match against Ireland, so founding the Amateur International Championship along the same lines as the Senior International Championship (like the senior version the tournament was variously referred to as the Amateur International Championship, British Amateur International Championship, Home Nations/Countries Amateur Championship or some variation thereof).

Although it was England who unsurprisingly dominated the championship throughout its history, Northern Ireland were the inaugural winners in 1954, so claiming the "handsome trophy" which had been presented by the Football Association of Wales. The Irish claimed two more titles outright, the last in 1972, and "shared" a further two.

In 1974 the International Football Association Board (led by the (English) FA) abolished the distinction between amateurs and professionals, so ending the tournament. Sadly, the final edition was not played to completion as Scotland were unwilling to travel to Northern Ireland due to "The Troubles".